Father of Lights Vol II: The Good Shepherd Provides

The LORD is good, A stronghold in the day of trouble; And He knows those who trust in Him. Nahum 1:7 NKJV

 Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow. James 1:17 NLT

 Jesus declared Himself to be the Good Shepherd. Again this wasn't just some clever phrase or catchy saying. This was the Son revealing who He is and what He does.

 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. John 10:11 MEV

 We have seen two aspects of this Good Shepherd. First the Good Shepherd preserves the sheep. He dearly loves us so He sustains us. He began the work in the believer and He will see it through to the end.

 He who started the work will be faithful to complete it. He who started the work, doesn't expect you to complete it. Salvation isn't God starts it we finish it. He preserves us.

 This is where some that oppose Grace miss it. They erroneously label eternal security as Calvinism's fifth point, perseverance of the Saints. This is not a Grace view but in truth a works view. To persevere means to maintain and endure. That is man's doing. Preservation means God preserves us, not our works or performance. 

 The Good Shepherd preserves the sheep! He holds us and keeps us, we are not keeping ourselves. Next He is the Good Shepherd who protects the sheep. In our last study we saw how he protects us.

Today we want to see the third aspect of the Good Shepherd: He provides for His sheep. A good shepherd takes care of his flock. He doesn't allow his sheep to go hungry or remain sickly without care. He watches over them, tends to their needs, and provides what they need to flourish. So it is with our Good Shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ. He cares for His flock, and He provides for them. 

 The Good Shepherd has provided peace. In a troubled world, anxiety and uncertainty attempt to assail our minds and cause many to stress and get over into worry. Jesus gave us His peace. Peace that surpasses understanding. Like a pressurized cabin in an airplane what we have inside insulates us from what is going on outside. Peace keeps us grounded in His Love and enables us to navigate through this world and any circumstance. 

 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, Romans 5:1 MEV

The Good Shepherd also provides for our material and financial needs. He knows we have responsibilities in this natural life. He knows we need food, clothing, shelter, and the resources necessary to fulfill the things He has called us to do. There is no shame in acknowledging that God is our provider in these areas. There is no reason to retreat from the goodness of God because religious people have criticized the teaching of prosperity or provision. The answer to error is not to deny what the Word reveals. Our Father is not opposed to our needs being met. He is not glorified by our lack. He is our provider, and His goodness extends into every area of our lives.

Let them shout for joy and rejoice, who favor my vindication and want what is right for me; Let them say continually, “Let the Lord be magnified, who delights and takes pleasure in the prosperity of His servant.” Psalm 35:27 AMP

But perhaps one of the greatest expressions of the Good Shepherd's provision is His provision of divine healing and health. Jesus did not merely tell us that God cares about us. He demonstrated it. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed of the devil. He touched the leper. He opened blind eyes. He caused the lame to walk. He healed all those who came to Him, and He never turned away the sick who sought His help. 

 These were not cold religious demonstrations performed merely to establish His credentials as the Jewish Messiah. They were expressions of His compassion. He saw people suffering, and He cared. He saw their pain, and He moved toward them. He saw their need, and He provided.

The religious mind often tries to separate the compassion of Jesus from the healing ministry of Jesus. It assigns His healing to a limited purpose in the past, as though He healed merely to prove who He was and then withdrew that provision from His people. But Jesus is the exact image of the Father. He said, “He that hath seen me hath seen the Father.” 

 If we want to know what the Father is like, we look at Jesus. And when we look at Jesus, we see a Good Shepherd who cares for the sick, the suffering, and the afflicted. We see One who is moved with compassion. We see One who provides healing.

Healing is not merely something Jesus demonstrated during His earthly ministry. Healing is part of what He accomplished for us in the Finished Work. Isaiah declared that He was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities, and that with His stripes we are healed. Peter looked back at the cross and declared, “By whose stripes ye were healed.” The provision has been made. Jesus bore our sins, and He bore our sicknesses. He carried our pains. He did not merely provide forgiveness for our sins while leaving sickness as an unavoidable part of our inheritance. He provided redemption for the whole person.

The Good Shepherd does not provide healing because He is trying to prove something to us. He provided healing because He is Good. He provided healing because He cares for His sheep. He provided healing because He is moved with compassion. And He provides healing because the Finished Work has already made provision for it. Faith does not create the provision. Faith receives what Grace has provided. We do not have to persuade a reluctant Shepherd to care and provide for us. We come to the One who has already demonstrated His love, already made provision, and already declared His desire for us to walk in the fullness of His life.

The Good Shepherd provides peace. He provides for our needs. And He provides divine healing and health. He is not merely the Shepherd who watches over His sheep from a distance. He is the Shepherd who cares for them, provides for them, and gives His life for them. He is the Good Shepherd. And He is still Good.

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Father of Lights Vol II: The Good Shepherd's Protection

 

The LORD is good, A stronghold in the day of trouble; And He knows those who trust in Him. Nahum 1:7 NKJV

Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow. James 1:17 NLT

 Jesus tells us in the Gospels that He is the Good Shepherd. This is one of His most powerful and revealing statements about Himself and our Good Father in Heaven. This is not just some cutesy phrase that is just spoken for poetic purposes.

 This powerful identification reveals the heart and character of Jesus. It reveals He cares about us and He cares for us. This tells us that God is interested in our lives not just the salvation of our spirit. 

 God our Good Father cares about our daily lives. He cares about our morning and our night. He cares about the things that matter to us. Traditional religion says God is only interested in us becoming holy, following His rules, and ensuring we get to heaven.

 They only see God as a God, a divine taskmaster whose sole focus is strict adherence to all He says and perfect obediance and submission. Relationship, communion, fellowship, none of that is the main purpose. Being a dutiful servant is all God cares about. 

 Jesus revealed to us a different view of Heaven. He showed us a Father who cares. He is the Good Shepherd. A good shepherd gives his life for his sheep. He preserves his flock. He protects his flock. He provides for His flock. This is what Jesus demonstrated. 

 The Good Shepherd protects His flock. He cares for us. What does this protection entail? His protection covers every area of our lives.

 The Good Shepherd protects us from false and misleading concepts, views and doctrines. The spirit of error comes to deceive the flock but the Good Shepherd protects His flock by revealing truth.

 The Good Shepherd protects us from loss, disappointment and heartache. How can this be so, you may ask, seeing we have all experienced loss and disappointment? The Good Shepherd leads us and guides us.

 True in a fallen and fractured creation we do see loss and disappointments. However, even in this fallen world, there are some loss and disappointment that can be avoided. How many times have you wanted to do something but suddenly sensed no peace about this situation, or decision? That is the Good Shepard protecting you from potential loss and disappoinment.

 He protects us in this arena of the soulish realm, our mind, will and emotions, through the umpire of peace. When we adhere to this simple leading we find we were protected from a bad business deal, a negative relationship, a unsafe investment. 

And let the peace of God rule in your hearts…Colossians 3:15

 He can also protect us from "the good". This meaning something that isn't bad in and of itself but it's just good and not the best. I experienced this in a potential real estate sale. Had I been able to purchase this home, I would have moved from the place I was living, and would have missed finding this stray dog, that brought so much joy, happiness in my life that no price tag could match.

 The Good Shepherd also protects His flock from harm and danger. Psalm 91 shows in detail His protection for His flock. 

9 Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; 10 There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. 11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. 12 They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. 13 Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet. 14 Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. 15 He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. 16 With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation. Psalm 91:9-16 KJV

 I sought the Lord, and He answered me, and delivered me from all my fears. They looked to Him and became radiant, and their faces are not ashamed. This poor man cried, and the Lord heard, and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord camps around those who fear Him, and delivers them. Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him.  Psalm 34:4-8 MEV

 The Good Shepherd protects His flock. There are countless testimonies of people being saved from near death situations, surviving serious auto accidents, protected during times of disaster and war. Don't object pointing to people who lost their lives. Or suffered loss in an accident. 

 We live in a fallen creation. There are many variable as to why something happened. Poor choices, distracted actions, and life in a fallen world. That said, there are countless times we have been protected and didn't even realize it. That red light that seemed to take forever, kept you from a potential traffic accident down the road.

 Begin to see life through the lens of the protection of the Good Shepherd. See Him guiding, leading, directing. He is the Good Shepherd. He protects His flock because He loves His flock and laid down His life for His flock. Taste and see He is always Good. 

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Discover: Accepted and Approved

 

Praise him! His kindness is great and wonderful. We have been accepted by God through Jesus Christ, whom he loves so much. Ephesians 1:6 WE

Acceptance and approval are what so many long for. Humanity goes to great length find this. We all look for someone's approval. We want to be accepted. 

 Humanity goes to great lengths to gain acceptance and strive to receive approval. Be it from family, employers, friends, or peer groups, we long to be accepted. People will change their hair, their clothing style, even their taste in music, just to be accepted. 

 It is more evident in our younger years. Young children and teens sometimes take even greater steps to secure acceptance and approval from their peers. Many want to be approved by their peers. They want to be in the "popular" group, the "in crowd". Sometimes they lose their own identity in pursuit of this acceptance.

  I have good news for those longing to find acceptance and approval.  There is a way to find lasting and permanent acceptance and approval. An acceptance that will never fail or fade away. There is a way to be in the greatest "in crowd" in the entire world.

 This way is only found in and through Jesus Christ. He wants you to be in His "in crowd". His "in crowd" is being in right standing with God. The real "in crowd" is being in right standing, or being made Righteous in Christ.

 Because of Jesus, we who have put our trust in Him alone are forever accepted and approved by our Father in Heaven. 

And so you are no longer called outcasts and wanderers but citizens with God’s people, members of God’s holy family, and residents of His household Ephesians 2:19 VOICE

 When we believed, we were no longer outcasts, no longer strangers, and no longer disconnected from God. In Him, we have divine approval and acceptance. This acceptance is rooted in Jesus' performance and His approval before the Father. Our trust is in His works and obedience; we reap the benefits. 

 ...As He is, so are we in this world. 1 John 4:17b NKJV

 Because of Jesus, we have a relationship with the Father. We are partaking of the New Covenant and are included in all its blessings and benefits. This is not based on our fragile works or doing, it is based on Jesus alone and His perfect work of Redemption. We can't produce it, we can't achieve it, we can never earn it. If we could, why would we need Jesus? Why would we need a Savior?

 Under this divine acceptance and approval, it is not that behavior doesn't matter; it's that behavior and obedience didn't cause it or merit it, therefore, our behavior can't undo it. His divine life, though, is within us now; new nature-new root, produces new desires and new fruit. 

 The beautiful part of this acceptance and approval is that even when we falter or fail, we can't undo or lose this divine approval.  Acceptance and approval remain, because Righteousness has been permanently imputed and is not fluctuating or wavering. Acceptance and approval are not an approval of every choice we make, but of who we are in Him. Identity is found in Christ; attitudes and actions are not who we are.  

 This is the wonderful Good News Gospel of Grace. Because of this acceptance and approval, we now have confidence in God. This produces confidence in prayer, confidence in walking by Faith, and confidence in worshipping our Savior. We have joy unspeakable in following the Lord's leading, knowing even in failure we are secured and approved in Him. 

 Child of God, you are not on probation but accepted and approved. We have union with God because of Jesus. Our identity is found in Him. He loves us, accepts us, and actually likes us. What a Good Father, what a victorious, loving Savior, we have! 

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Discover: Deeply Loved

 

16 God has loved us and made us happy through his kindness. He gave us everlasting comfort and good hope. 17 May our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, comfort your hearts and make you strong to do and say everything that is good. 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 WE 

16 God our Father loves us. He treats us with undeserved grace and has given us eternal comfort and a wonderful hope. We pray that our Lord Jesus Christ and God our Father 17 will encourage you and help you always to do and say the right thing. 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 CEV

 Discover. Discover means to become aware of something, to make an observation or a finding. When we discover something wonderful, it brings us great joy. 

 As believers, it's imperative to discover who you really are in Christ, what belongs to you because of Christ, and how God the Father sees you now. Growth in Christ is maturing into who you already are in Him. 

 The most important discovery in Christ is to know that you are deeply loved. God the Father deeply loves you with an unconditional, eternal love. This love is based solely upon Him and has nothing to do with you. 

 There is nothing that any of us can do to make God love us more. There is not one thing you can do more of or do something better for God to love you more. He already loves you with an everlasting love that is greater than any love known to mankind.

 On the other hand, there is nothing any of us can do that will cause God to love us less. This idea is met with resistance because it seems God is rewarding bad behavior. That is not the case at all.

 God loves you and me unconditionally. That is what Agape love is all about. If you can do something to make God love you less, then His love IS conditional and rooted solely in your performance. This would put God in the place of mere man, because mankind loves with conditions, with strings attached. 

 God isn't pleased with poor choices, wrong actions, or selfish behavior. He will even send corrective instructions to His own during these times. This doesn't equate to God loving His people less whenever they sin. In fact, it's His love and Goodness that bring change. 

 Some may be thinking about the Scripture in 2 Corinthians 9:7 as proof that we can make God love us more. It says God loves a cheerful giver. This statement is not some kind of new doctrine Paul was sharing. That financial givers are more special to God. 

 What the context is revealing is the heart of God. He is saying that God takes pleasure and is lovingly pleased with a cheerful giver. He is not looking for a grudging, obligation-oriented giver. This passage does not teach that there is a way for God to love you more.

 God loves you with an eternal, unconditional love. This love transcends time and space and all eternity. From the beginning of time, God saw you and loved you deeply. That's why He offered His only Son to pay the penalty for all sins. The Father sowed a Son and reaped a family. 

 God loves you even though you have sinned and made mistakes. Let's not take the amazing out of Grace. You, just like me, were lost, sinful, rebellious in your thoughts, and self-centered. Yet as wicked and unjust and sinful we all were, He still saw all that and chose to love us unconditionally. 

 This is amazing, Grace. This is wondrous and matchless love. This is the Love of God. You are loved, deeply loved by the Father. Discover this deep love the Father has for you again. 

 

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The Marks of the Religious (minded) Man: Relationshipless

 

making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down. And many such things you do.” Mark 7:13 NKJ 

Don’t let others spoil your faith and joy with their philosophies, their wrong and shallow answers built on men’s thoughts and ideas, instead of on what Christ has said. Colossians 2:8 TLB

They act as if they worshipped God, yet they do not let God's power work in their lives. Keep away from people like that. 2 Timothy 3:5 WE

 Religion is a man-made attempt to reach God. Religious tradition is humanity's attempt to approach God on its own terms. Religion creates carvings of stone, temples, and altars as a means to connect with God. Religious tradition relies on experience, what has been passed down from others, and their own understanding to explain who God is and what He is like.

 In examining the anatomy of religion and tradition, we have seen that religion is powerless. Religion cannot transform lives. Religious tradition explains away the supernatural, and thus they walk without the power from on High. Religion is Faithless. It can't access the power of God, and doesn't even believe it is possible. It is rooted in much unbelief.

 Faithless religion also relies on works and performance, attempting to earn what was freely given. Religion is knowledgeless. Religion is ignorant of the Cross, the Finished Work, and who God is. They walk in inconsistencies and place blame on God for tragedy and tribulation. 

 Religion is also loveless and Graceless. They put their rules and principles and traditions above compassion and believe they must be kept, or God won't hear your prayer. Religion is about works and performance; religion says do, and Jesus says done.

The Missing Element: Ritual Without Relationship

And at the core of all of this—beneath the powerless rituals, beneath the works and the rules—lies the most tragic mark of dead religion: it has form without fellowship. It has rituals without relationship. It goes through motions but never connects with the Majesty on High, our Lord Jesus. 

Religion can quote verses, recite prayers, and observe ceremonies, yet never encounter the heart of God. It replaces intimacy with instructions, fellowship with formulas, and the living Christ with cold creeds. Religion can sing about Jesus while never knowing Him, serve in His name while remaining strangers to His grace. It turns Christianity into a schedule, a system, a ceremony—anything but a Savior.

 Lastly, the worst manifestation of religion is that it has no actual relationship with God. We have seen these marks or this anatomy of religious tradition in John 9. We see how the religious leaders claim to know God and speak for Him, and yet they deny the works of God performed and demonstrated right before them. 

 They completely rejected God in the flesh, God Almighty manifest before them. Jesus said they were blind. They had no relationship with God. They presumed they were following God, and yet they were in opposition to Him and His works.

 One powerful illustration of this mark of religion, which Jesus gave us in Matthew 7, is often misunderstood and misapplied, perfectly demonstrating relationshipless religion. Many attempt to use these passages to promote eternal insecurity and a performance-based faith. Jesus was actually giving us a glimpse of dead religion that has no relationship with God

 In this passage, Jesus tells us what the fruit He is referring to. He is speaking of the teachings of leaders, not merely a warning about performance or behavior. In context, He is referring to the teachings of men. 

 This gives us the key to understanding what He refers to when He tells some to depart from Him. He said to these religious people who claim to do great works for God, I never knew you. He was not teaching the loss of salvation. He said I never knew you, not I once knew you, but now I don't know you. This is key to understanding in seeing what Jesus was revealing.

 Jesus showed us that religion can exist apart from God and without a relationship with Him. In religion, people can attend meetings, be a part of gatherings, and join temples and other religious fellowships, and not have received eternal life, not trusted in Jesus, and not received the new birth.

 Modern Culture: A New Religion With the Same Old Problem

And today, religion has simply changed clothes.
Culture has baptized its own beliefs and called them righteousness.
Sin has been renamed “authenticity,” rebellion has been renamed “identity,” and compromise has been renamed “compassion.” Modern culture preaches a gospel of self, of feelings, of universal acceptance—yet none of it is Jesus. Good is called evil, and evil is called good, and because the language sounds spiritual, people think it is holy. But any gospel that removes the Cross, the Blood, repentance (change of mind), and the new birth is not the Gospel—it is just another form of relationshipless religion.

People can gather and claim the name of God, of Jesus, and promote what current culture calls justice and righteousness, and be completely lost. People can come together for whatever “cause” or current “thing” the world determines is good or bad, but this doesn’t mean they are following God. Men can gain a following and proclaim universal salvation and inclusion, but this isn’t the Gospel.

The Gospel is about trusting in Jesus’ Finished Work, nothing else. The Gospel is about the Grace of God pledged through Jesus, demonstrated by His sacrifice at Calvary. The Gospel is the realization and acknowledgment that, apart from Christ, we are lost and in need of a Savior.

In Summation

Religion is a man-made system that offers no help, no hope, and no happiness. Religion is powerless, Faithless, knowledgeless, loveless, Graceless, and is not the way to find a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Religion is man’s attempt to work toward God. The Gospel is God’s work reaching toward man. Religion takes, Grace gives, and God never takes away. Christianity isn't religion. Christianity is God reaching out to man, with the price paid in full, offering hope, help, healing, and life eternal. 

 Looking back to Matthew 7, Jesus spoke that only those who do the will of the Father will be known of God. What is His will? To simply believe in Jesus the Son, trusting that His work was enough! This is Christianity and the Gospel; it is not lifeless religion. 

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The Marks of the Religious (minded) Man: Knowledgeless

making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down. And many such things you do.” Mark 7:13 NKJ 

Don’t let others spoil your faith and joy with their philosophies, their wrong and shallow answers built on men’s thoughts and ideas, instead of on what Christ has said. Colossians 2:8 TLB

They act as if they worshipped God, yet they do not let God's power work in their lives. Keep away from people like that. 2 Timothy 3:5 WE

 God's Goodness is revealed in Jesus Christ. God becoming a man and taking man's place, providing Redemption to whosoever will believe, is the Gospel, the Good News God wants heralded. The message is clear, transparent, and simple. Man, on the other hand, has sometimes added input. Thus, religious tradition was born.

 We have been examining the anatomy of religion and tradition. We have seen that religion in essence is man trying to come to God on their own terms. We have seen that religion is powerless and Faithless. Religious tradition brings no joy, no hope, and doesn't cause Faith to come. We have seen these marks illustrated In John 9.

 The next mark of Religion we want to examine is knowledgeless. Religion is ignorant of so much of God's Word and God Himself and the work of Jesus on our behalf. God doesn't want His children ignorant of Him or His works. 

 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Hosea 4:6a MEV

Therefore My people go into captivity because they have no knowledge Isaiah 5:13a MEV 

 Religion lacks knowledge of God's Word and His Goodness and all that His Finished Work provided. Now I can hear the objections. Some in religious circles can literally quote the Bible verbatim. How is that ignorance? That is a very good question.

 Allow me to illustrate this to answer this question. I can quote the United States Constitution verbatim. However, if I don't really understand what is being said I wouldn't be able to take full advantage of what rights the Constitution guaranteed. 

 So it is with the things of God. Religion lacks knowledge, that is full understanding of the Word, and this gives rise to the many inconsistencies of traditional religion. Let's begin unwrapping the areas of ignorance of the religious minded.

 Religion is ignorant of who the enemy is. The enemy, satan, (no I will not capitalize his "name", Jesus defeated Him!), doesn't even exist to some religious Christians. He is merely an allegory of evil, or worse some fairy tale figure. Therefore all that happens is automatically attributed to God.

 The enemy is the tempter. He is the one accusing and condemning. We as believers must take these thoughts captive in light of the Finished Work of Christ. We are accepted and approved in Christ. We are in perfect right standing with God. Reject condemnation and accusation.

 Religion paints satan as some lackey who God uses to "perfect" the saints. Some say God uses satan to put hard times on believers to build them up. This is nonsense. The enemy is a spiritual rebel who is defeated and he is not working for God.

 Religion is ignorant of God's character. They believe God ordains or causes Sickness and disease to come upon His children. They believe God sends plagues, pestilence, and pandemics to perfect or punish whichever is needed most.

 Religion sees God as the sovereign ruler of all the universe, which He is, but they see this as God controlling all aspects of life. Therefore, the car wrecks, the earthquakes, the heartaches are His handiwork. They are sent for some mysterious purpose that we will finally understand when we get to Heaven, this is traditional nonsense.

 God is a Good Father. Jesus perfectly demonstrated the Father's will and ways when He walked the earth. Jesus brought life, healed bodies, raised the dead to life and brought miraculous provision. He was Good and went about doing Good. He demonstrated mercy, love, kindness, accepting the weak, the broken, and lost. He offered redemption and forgiveness to all who came. He is always Good!

 Religion is ignorant of the New Covenant and Finished Work. Religion still sees the Church as under portions of the Old Covenant Law. Religion sees the Cross as a partially completed work. 

 Religion says Jesus paid it all, but expects you to make up for it when you fail. Religion still sees God sending wrath and judgment on cities, lands and nations as punishment for their sins. Religion says it is paid in full but keeps believers in guilt and shame through preaching how God is displeased and disappointed continually at His Church.

 Jesus is enough. When He said it was Finished He meant it. He didn't say still more for you to do. He didn't say I started this now you complete it. He who began the good work in you is Faithful to complete it. 

 Religion is ignorant of God's Word, His nature, who the enemy is, the Cross and His Grace. They may quote whole portions of Scripture but they don't have the light of those Scriptures. The Holy Spirit said in Psalms, in His light we see light. Religion clouds and covers the light, producing confusion and inconsistencies in the Faith.

 Religion says God makes you sick, or afflicts you with disease, to teach you, to mold your character, or for some other mysterious purpose. They say things like God had to put you flat on your back so you can look up. 

 Yet, after the diagnosis, they encourage you to go the hospital, to seek medical treatment, to seek relief from the disorder. See the inconsistency there? 

 Religion says God makes you sick to teach you but then tells you to go to the doctor to get better. This means you would be removing what God put on you to teach you. Isn't that contrary to what God "wanted?"

 Religion says God remembers your sins no more, but when you do sin, He is withholding fellowship with you. They say He remembers your sins no more, but won't answer your prayers because you sinned. Which is it? He remembers your sins and holds them against you, or He doesn't remember them? 

 Religion is knowledgeless. It doesn't have the light of the Word. It just knows what the Bible states, but they don't have the understanding of the living Word. Religion serves the great I Was not the great I AM. 

 Where has religion left you feeling lost or confused in your Christian life? Have you experienced the inconsistencies religion promotes? 

 When you study God's Word, pray for your understanding to see His Light, and to open your understanding of the Word. When you hear the Word taught, check the Word for yourself to determine how true it is. This is how you learn, grow, and gain the knowledge of God and reject religious tradition. 

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The Marks of the Religious (minded) Man: Powerless

 

making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down. And many such things you do.” Mark 7:13 NKJ 

Don’t let others spoil your faith and joy with their philosophies, their wrong and shallow answers built on men’s thoughts and ideas, instead of on what Christ has said. Colossians 2:8 TLB

They act as if they worshipped God, yet they do not let God's power work in their lives. Keep away from people like that. 2 Timothy 3:5 WE

 Religious tradition makes God's Word ineffectual. Religion weakens and renders the Church impotent in a fallen world. We have defined religion as a man-centered philosophy rooted in rigid rules, rituals, and rites. 

 We are examining the marks of the religious man-or rather, the religious-minded man. Our focus is the mindset of religion, not people, for no one is our enemy. We do not wrestle with flesh and blood. 

  In John 9, we see a perfect portrait of powerless religion. This is the story of the blind man made whole. They brought him before the Pharisees. The Pharisees were enraged because this work of Jesus violated their rules and the way they had always done things.

 Notice they were angry because Jesus broke their rules. They were cold and callous to the plight of the man; he was born blind, and that impacted all aspects of his life. That was of no concern to them, only that the rules be observed and never broken, no matter the reason.

 The reality is their cold religion was powerless to render help, healing, and wholeness. This leads us to identify one of the marks of a religious-minded man. Religion is powerless. The 6th mark of the religious-minded is "powerless."

 Religion is powerless. Religion has a form of godliness but has no power. Religion serves a god that is comfortable for the intellectually led and emotionally inclined-a deity shaped from human logic and limited compassion.

The Jesus of powerless religion's only ability is to forgive one of their past sins and allow the sinner to become born again. Apart from that, Jesus can't help you. While being forgiven of past sins and getting born again are vitally important, it is not truly good news if that's all He can do.

 What about your future sins? Are these left up to you to work for or beg for forgiveness? What about your life in the here and now? Are you on your own in this life? 

 Powerless religion seems to insinuate and proclaim this as fact, and if you ask for more in this life, then religion labels you a heretic and someone who seeks not God but happiness this side of Heaven. They call into question the sincerity of Faith and commitment to God for anyone who believes there is more for us in this life than just suffering and squeezing by in life, as if expecting goodness from God is somehow greed, covetousness, or discontentment! 

 One of the marks of the religious-minded man is powerlessness. Jesus can't help you is really what they believe and express in matters apart from initial belief in Christ. Powerless religion is a religious expression without any revelation. Jesus is a mere historical figure who used to work miracles, heal the sick and infirm, set captives free, and transform lives. Today, that is not what Jesus does, and if you have a need apart from accepting Jesus as Savior, well, sorry, Jesus doesn't do that anymore. He can't help you with that!

 That’s not just bad theology — this is the heart of powerless religion 

It’s a Christianity that preaches a historical Jesus, not a living Christ.
It knows about some of His words but not His presence.
It can quote the stories as historical events, but it has forgotten the Spirit that makes them real.

Powerless religion looks into the eyes of the broken, a sick mother, a grieving father — and says, “Sorry, that was for Bible times.”
But the Gospel of Grace says the same Jesus who opened blind eyes still mends broken hearts — the same Spirit who raised Him from the dead still gives life today.

 Powerless religion sees God's Word for the most part as a history book. A collection of events that detailed what God used to do. An account of a Savior who only intervened in people's lives to coldly prove He was, in fact, God in the flesh, not because of compassion and mercy, compelling Him to show up in people's situations and change them to bring about healing, wholeness, and restoration. 

 Powerless religion serves a savior that can't save completely, only partially. Powerless religion preaches a partial Jesus.

He can forgive, but He can’t restore.
He can pardon, but He can’t empower.
He can cleanse the record, but not redeem the life.

This brand of religion presents a Christ who died for sins — but not for sickness.
A cross that covers the past — but not the present or future.
A redemption that opens heaven for receiving the new birth alone — but leaves hell’s grip on earth untouched.

It’s a gospel that says:

• “He can save your soul, but your body’s on its own.”

• “He can forgive your sin, but not break your addiction.”

• “He can bless you spiritually, but not touch your finances.”

• “He can comfort your pain, but not cure it.”

Powerless religion presents a powerless Savior — one good enough to pity you, but not strong enough to help you. But the real Jesus not only came to forgive sin — He also came to undo its effects on earth and in the lives who trust in Him! 

 Powerless religion has entombed Jesus in a museum. Where His works are mere exhibits, serving as a reminder of what He once did, but no longer does today. They are memorials of a God who once changed circumstances and outcomes for the blessing and betterment of His people, but of course, that was not for the actual blessing, but merely to show He was a sovereign God who was capable of powerful acts and nothing more. 

 Has powerless religion ensnared you and your thinking? Has Christianity merely become an intellectual encounter, rather than a truly life-changing event? Break free from the shackles of powerless Christianity and know you serve a risen Savior who conquered death, hell, and the grave and rendered the enemy powerless and ineffective against His Church, the Body of Christ. 

 Do you have any experiences with powerless Religion you wish to share? Comment below and let your testimony inspire others.

Image by Laz Georgoulas from Pixabay

The Marks of the Religious (minded) Man: What is Religion?

 

making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down. And many such things you do.” Mark 7:13 NKJ 

Don’t let others spoil your faith and joy with their philosophies, their wrong and shallow answers built on men’s thoughts and ideas, instead of on what Christ has said. Colossians 2:8 TLB

They act as if they worshipped God, yet they do not let God's power work in their lives. Keep away from people like that. 2 Timothy 3:5 WE

 If you have followed this site for any length of time, you have seen how much religious traditions are challenged. Often, the articles written have the purpose of allaying these man-made traditions. With this in mind, it seemed good to do an actual study on what religion and tradition really are. What the traits or marks of religious mindedness actually are.

  What we must also be mindful of is who are enemy actually is. Our enemy is not with flesh and blood. No man is our enemy. That is, we wrestle not against flesh and blood but with the enemy, the spirit of error. Now, men may count themselves as our enemy, but that doesn't mean we have to count them as our enemies.

 Jesus said they will know us by our love for one another. That love is referring to how we, as the Body of Christ, love each other. We need not fight each other, but love each other and come together under the banner of the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Our one goal is to tell a crying, dying world that there is hope, and it is found in receiving Jesus as Savior and receiving the gift of eternal life. 

 Let's begin understanding what the traits or marks of religious-mindedness are by looking at the words of Jesus and Paul the Apostle. Jesus said religious tradition makes the Word of God of no effect. Other translations render this as making void God's Word or nullifying it. 

 Grasp what Jesus is actually declaring. The religious tradition of men makes the Word of God void, nullified, and of no effect. He is saying religious tradition makes the Word of God powerless in the life of one entangled in the religious traditions of men. 

 Paul also gives us notice about the dangers of religious tradition. The Holy Spirit, through Paul, breathed a warning about philosophies and practices rooted in the religious traditions of men. They spoil or defraud us from a genuine Faith and a sincere relationship with the Father.

 Lighting candles, holding religious artifacts, or religious items, like beads, shawls, or head coverings, don't make us more spiritual. They don't make us more approved. Observing certain days over others, practicing rituals, clanging bells, or chimes, or shaving your head bald, does not make you better accepted by God our Father. 

 The Holy Spirit also said through Paul that religion has a form of Godliness but completely denies its power. Religious traditions deny the power of God to save the worst of us. Religion denies the power of God to transform hearts and lives, and instead relies on rigid rules, restrictions, and regulations to bring about behavior modification. 

Religion denies the power of God to change situations and circumstances. Religion says God used to intervene in the lives of His people during "Bible days". He doesn't do that now, though. He, in fact, creates circumstances to mold us and better us through painful suffering. 

 Religion is man's attempt to reach God. Religion is man-centered; it's a system based on following rules that they make for you to appear pious. Religion is a man-made philosophy that keeps God in boxes designed by men. Religion forms and fashions and serves a god that they can understand emotionally and intellectually. 

 In this series, we will examine the marks of the religious man. In John 9, we see the perfect illustration of all these marks of the religious-minded. We want to detect religion and show the way out.

 The Gospel is the Good News. The Gospel is the power of God. It is life and wholeness to all those who believe. The Gospel brings new life, power from on High, and a life of victory on this side of Heaven. Religion is powerless, rooted in men's strength and fleeting and fading. The Gospel frees where religion binds, stay with us as we examine these marks of religious mindedness. 

 What are your experiences with religious tradition? Do you think it is good to challenge the traditions of men? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Image by Rudy and Peter Skitterians from Pixabay

Why Declaring the Word works: Grace through Faith

 

Because of what they say a person can fill their stomach. What their words produce can satisfy them. Your tongue has the power of life and death. Those who love to talk will eat the fruit of their words. Proverbs 18:20-21 NIRV 

 What a powerful force our words are. Words are seeds. We can plant seeds of hope, healing, and wholeness. We can plant these seeds in the soil of our own heart or in the lives of our loved ones and those around us.

 What words are you sowing? Are you planting seeds of love, peace, and positive affirmation? Or are you planting seeds of misery, hopelessness, strife, and unbelief? This is why it is vital to continue examining the power of words. 

 Declaring the Word works. Speaking in agreement with God will change your life forever. The more you grow in Faith, in Grace, and in the knowledge of Jesus, your words will agree with God and not with your present circumstances or situation. 

 Why does confessing or saying the same thing as God work? We have seen that first it causes Faith to come. Secondly, it renews the mind to think God's thoughts. Thirdly, it reprograms the heart, helping to focus on the unseen rather than the seen. It also keeps the promise of God before us, keeping Faith in focus and not the problem.

 The fifth reason why confessing God's Word works is that it puts the Law of Faith into motion. When you declare God's Word, Faith is being released. There is a miracle in your mouth; all you have to do is speak it out! 

So [it shall be] that he who invokes a blessing on himself in the land shall do so by saying, May the God of truth and fidelity [the Amen] bless me; and he who takes an oath in the land shall swear by the God of truth and faithfulness to His promises [the Amen], because the former troubles are forgotten and because they are hidden from My eyes.  Isaiah 65:16 AMPC

 Look at this powerful prophecy from Isaiah. This is foreshadowing the Redemptive work of Jesus. You invoke the blessing by releasing your words. Grace has already provided it; it belongs to us through Christ.  

 Grace provided it, but Faith takes it. Grace made it all available, but you partake of it by receiving what was purchased and procured by Jesus' Finished Work. How do you receive it? By declaring His Word, agreeing with what He made available. It is not just acknowledging it but agreeing with God that it is yours and you have it now.

 Casually acknowledging the Righteousness of all believers in Christ is not laying hold of it and claiming it for yourself. You receive of the gift of Righteousness by declaring "I am the Righteousness of God in Christ."

 Faith's confession agrees with the reality that Grace made in Jesus' Finished Work of Redemption. Faith's confession creates that reality in your own personal life. Declaring the Word of God sets the Law of Faith in motion for what concerns you.

 What is the Law of Faith? 

 Where then is boasting? It has been excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. Romans 3:27 Mounce.

 For most certainly I tell you, whoever may tell this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and doesn’t doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is happening, he shall have whatever he says Mark 11:23 WEB

 The Law of Faith is no different than the law of gravity. The Law of Faith says that what you believe with the heart and declare with your mouth will come to pass. Faith is not just about speaking the Word, but it is a part of it. Faith is released when we speak in agreement with His Word and what Redemption provided.

  Look again at the Gospel of Mark, where the woman with the issue of blood declared her healing, putting the Law of Faith in motion. She declared continually that when she touched His garment, she would be healed.

  She kept speaking it, and put the Law of Faith in motion. She reached out and touched Jesus' garment and received her healing. When Jesus sensed the healing anointing released, He sought her out and declared that her Faith made her whole.

 Your Faith can make you whole, too. The Law of Faith is about believing and speaking. Notice in Mark 11 that Jesus mentioned believing once and saying three times. He was showing that Faith is released by speaking. He showed us the power and importance of words.

 So what are you saying? Are you agreeing with the Finished Work or religious traditions? Redemption or present circumstances? The Law of Faith is not about works or earning or striving. It is not based on works. It is not about performance. It is about Grace through Faith.

 When you declare God’s Word, you’re not striving, begging, or trying to earn. You’re simply agreeing with what Grace has already finished. The Law of Faith is voice-activated—believe in your heart, speak with your mouth, and watch His promises manifest in your life. Healing, provision, peace, and victory are not distant dreams; they are present realities waiting to be received. So lift your voice, declare His Word, and set the Law of Faith in motion—because what Jesus has done is already yours today.

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay